Prez Mills Is Not Serious – Nana Akomea

The Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akomea says President Mills “is not serious” for blaming the NPP government for the NDC’s inability to effectively implement the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS).

Nana Akomea who was commenting on the strike action by doctors in the country said such an attitude by government is what has led to the strike action being embarked on by doctors in the country.

“The president is not serious and this is the kind of attitude that makes the doctors go on strike and innocent lives will be lost. These people in government they don’t go to the public hospitals so they can speak this way. The president, he goes abroad so he can speak this way…That you are telling the doctors that NPP didn’t leave any money that is why you can’t finalize single spine, is that what you are telling the doctors and you expect them to go back to work?” he rhetorically asked.

He stressed that there were state apparatus such as the Value Added Tax (VAT) and many other taxes which are used to generate money for any government and as such wondered which out-going government leaves money for an incoming one.

“The fund raising infrastructure is what is left for you and you have to use it to generate money to run the country. You go and fight election, you come into government and then you say that the previous government didn’t leave me any money. How did the previous government get money to run the country? And when you say money was not left to you, how did you get money to finance your 2009 budget, your 2010 budget, your 2011 budget that you presented to parliament and parliament approved…?” he quizzed.

Debunking the claims by president Mills that the previous government left no money, Nana Akomea cited instances where huge sums of money were spent on “tea and coffee” for a transitional team set in 2009, donations to Haiti and Christmas hampers for journalists asking “where did that money come from?”.

He stated that knowing the implications that come with the new salary structure, the NPP had put the Fair Wages and Salary Commission and other mechanisms in place as preparatory means of implementing the SSSS and wondered why president Mills would make such comments.

Nana Akomea added that despite the president’s ‘cry’ that the NPP left no money, the police force and teachers have been migrated on to the single spine salary structure and as such wondered why doctors have not been migrated on to the SSSS.

Wednesday marks the fifth day since the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) laid down its tools. The GMA, last Friday announced a nationwide strike after stalled negotiation on the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) and have since deserted the various public hospitals in the country.

Except for a few emergency cases, the majority of patients have been sent back home, some with only first aid treatment.